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| Birth name | Aliaksandr Iharavich Rybak |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 May 1986 |
| Origin | Nesodden, Akershus, Norway |
| Genre(s) | Pop, Folk, Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Actor, Composer, Pianist |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Violin, Piano |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Associated acts | Eurovision Song Contest 2009, Frikar |
Biography
Early life
Rybak was born in Minsk, which at the time was in the Belarusian SSR in the Soviet Union. When he was 4 years old, he and his family moved to Norway.[2] At the age of five, Rybak began to play the piano. [2] His parents are Natallia Valiantsinauna Rybak, a classical pianist, and Igor Aliaksandravich Rybak, a well-known classical violinist who performs alongside Pinchas Zukerman.[3] Alexander Rybak stated "I always liked to entertain and somehow that is my vocation".[4] He currently lives in Nesodden in Norway.
Professional life
Alexander at the ESC 2009
Rybak has been a student at the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo since the age of 10. Due to his success in the Eurovision Song Contest, he is currently taking a break from his Bachelor's degree studies at the Institute.[5][6] In 2004, Rybak was awarded the Anders Jahre Culture Prize.[7] In 2005, he entered the Norwegian version of Idol, reaching the semifinal. In 2006 Rybak won Kjempesjansen (The Giant Chance), a talent competition hosted by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), with his own song "Foolin'".[4] Alexander Rybak has collaborated with artists such as a-ha's lead singer Morten Harket and Arve Tellefsen. As of 2007, Rybak has played the fiddler in Oslo Nye Teater's production of Fiddler on the Roof and won the Hedda Award for this role.[4] He also stars as Levi in the film Yohan directed by Grete Salomonsen.[8]
Eurovision 2009
Rybak after the Eurovision 2009 final in a press conference in Moscow, Russia.
Main article: Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Rybak won the 54th Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow, Russia, with a record 387 points, singing "Fairytale",[9] a song inspired by Norwegian folk music. The song was composed and written by Rybak himself[10] and was performed together with the modern folk dance company Frikar. The song received good reviews with a score of 6 out of 6 in the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet[4] and in an ESCtoday poll he scored 71.3%, making him the favourite to get into the final.[11]
In the Norwegian national heats Rybak achieved a clean sweep, gaining the top score from all nine voting districts and ending with a combined televote and jury score of 747,888, while the runner up Tone Damli Aaberge received a combined score of 121,856.[12]
The song competed in the second semi-final and won a place in the Eurovision final.
Rybak later went on to win the Eurovision final with a landslide victory, receiving votes from all the participating countries (except Norway, which was not allowed to vote for itself). He finished with a grand total of 387 points, breaking the previous record of 292 points scored by Lordi in 2006 and scoring 169 points more than runner up Iceland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Rybak 468x60
